Annie is Dead
by MrMsMingus
Summary: How Joan and Arthur find out about Annies Death. Mention of Bianca, Calder, Teo, and Annie.


Sunlight.

That was the first thing Joan sensed as she began to awaken. It came streaming in through the hospital windows. She took a deep breath turning to face the warmth. Opening her eyes she noticed a nurse quietly checking her charts. Joan sighed as it all came back.

Yesterday, everything changed.

The nurse looked up, noticing her now alert patient. "Good morning Mrs. Campbell, how are you feeling?" Joan turned her eyes toward the young red-head and maneuvered herself so she was sitting up straight, "Feeling as back to my normal self as I suppose I can get" Joan replied blankly. The reality that she would probably never again be able to call herself Joan Campbell, Director of Clandestine Services hitting her again like a ton of bricks. The nurse made eye contact with Joan, "You will be back to normal in 4 months or so, and you will get to go home today as soon as your discharge paperwork is drawn up. Your doctor cleared you. Her only instructions were to" Joan interrupted ""Not go into the office", yes I know" Not like she had an office to return to anyway. Joan watched the nurse smile and hastily shuffle out of the room.

* * *

Joan sat perched on the edge of her hospital bed waiting for the nurse to let her sign the last waiver so she could go home.

Home, she pondered, realizing it would be an empty house when she arrived. She let out a deep, heavy sigh willing Arthur to walk through the door and making a mental note to call his lawyer to try to arrange a visit. He needed to hear about the hospital visit, and for that matter the DNIs decision directly from her.

At that moment she saw a flash of red hair coming up beside her. She signed her name before being ushered into a wheelchair. The nurse began to wheel her out making small talk then asking, "Who do you have waiting for you outside?"

Realizing her car was at Langley and that she probably wasn't allowed to drive it anyway, Joan stuttered as she responded, "I-I guess nobody" The red-head jerked the wheelchair to a halt.

Joan sensed the girls un-voiced question and quickly inserted "I will call a friend of mine and he can meet me in the waiting area" The red-head turned her gaze back to the direction of the waiting area and resumed walking forward. Joan slipped out her cell phone quickly dialing Auggies number.

It rang.

No answer.

That is strange, she thought, and then realized he never reported back in yesterday. Usually Joan went with, no news is good news, but today she had a feeling. A deep, dark, unsettling pain inside of her, a knowing that something was not right.

She tried again and let it ring to voicemail, "Auggie, you need to call me when you get this. Ive been discharged and I am going home. I expect a full report from you."

The red head, who had now wheeled Joan to the front door came around the chair and knelt so she was eye level with Joan. Joan looked up from the phones screen to meet the young nurses intense eyes, "So, you don't have a ride home?"

"No, but I am perfectly capable of calling a cab"

The red-head opened her mouth to protest and Joan clenched her fists when a flash of movement caught Joan's eye.

Is that?

It couldn't be, it was Arthur's newly hired lawyer, Bianca. The dark haired woman marched right up to Joan and interrupted the Red-Heads argument about how Joan need not go home alone and how she didn't need a full report from work she needed to rest, "I'm sorry I was late, Joan" turning to the shocked red-head, she curtly thanked the nurse for taking such excellent care of her "friend" and took over wheeling Joan out to the car. Joan was too shocked and relieved to argue.

* * *

Bianca had been uncomfortably quiet on the trek to the car. She got Joan settled in the passenger seat before dumping Joan's bag in the trunk and taking the wheel. Joan wasn't the kind of person to break a moment of awkward silence, but today, she had to know, the question burned in her throat "Does Arthur know?"

The black haired lawyer responded while pulling out of the parking lot, "No, I only found out thanks to a tip from Henry Wilcox" Joan shuddered at the name "He told me I should check in on you at the hospital as he left after finishing up his visit with Arthur."

Arthur spoke with Henry? Joan wondered what the two had discussed and why Arthur let him out of there alive. Joan turned to face the woman, "Good, he needs to hear it from me". Arthur's lawyer looked Joan in the eye quickly replying "I know" then turning to face the road she went on, "I'm working on getting you some time with him. It doesn't look like they will let him go any time soon. He will probably be in custody until the trial is over. But you being pregnant and in the hospital may sway them and convince them to let you see him for a while."

Joan held her stomach and inhaled sharply at the thought of having to do this alone. the dark haired woman laid a hand on Joan's tense arm and reassured her "I'm working on it. We are going to do everything we can to get him out." Joan just watched the DC landscape fly by her window.

* * *

Alone.

Joan scanned the empty house from where she had dropped onto the dark leather couch. Bianca had walked Joan in and after promising to call her once she had a visit arranged, she dumped Joan's bag on the table beside the front door and let herself out. Joan rubbed her growing belly and locked her gaze on the photo of her and Arthur resting on the coffee table in front of her. All she wanted was him to hold her and tell her it would be okay.

But he couldn't and it wasn't.

A sudden knock on the front door brought Joan back to reality. She quickly arose, peeping out the window she saw auggie standing on the stairs holding a box containing the things from her office that got left behind when she was taken away by the ambulance.

Joan opened the door, "Auggie", she said in a sympathetic voice, taking the box and sliding it next to her bag on the table before offered him her arm and ushering him to the couch she has previously occupied. She examined the young mans face and quickly realized he hadn't slept. Dark circles surrounded his dark, blank eyes and he was wearing the same clothes as the day before, and he was quiet. Too quiet. Like he was trying to decide how and how much to tell her. He did that often, managing the situation, trying to protect her. Joan decided not to scold him for forgetting to report in and instead, she laid a hand on the young mans shoulder, as she sank onto the couch beside him, the young man that was more like a son to her than an employee, "What has happened". Auggie turned toward the sound of her voice, he was quiet for another moment and with a deep, pained breath, he began,

"Annie is dead"

Joan's mouth dropped in shock and she suddenly felt she may pass out again as the words spoken fell out of the air. She breathed a "What" in response.

Voice cracking, Auggie paused, took another deep breath and went on,

"Calder had orders from Wilcox to take her out, she went to get some intel on Henry's wife at a bank in Germany and Calder was waiting for her, Joan, she called me on her way there. She knew he was waiting and she still went." With that the silent tears took over the young mans face.

Joans breathing became shallow and labored as she processed the information. Pulling Auggies head to her shoulder to comfort him she bit her lip and willed herself not to cry.

Annie is dead.

"Does Arthur know?" she quietly inquired. Sitting up and pointlessly wiping his eyes as tears kept falling auggie responded, "no, I had no way of" Joan stopped him, gripped his arm, and said, "Okay, I will let him know when I see him." She swallowed hard, unsure of how long she would have to wait for that.

They sat in stunned silence, watching shadows move for what felt like hours when Auggies phone rang announcing the caller as Calder Michaels. Joan wanted to throw the phone across the room, but Auggie stood up to answer the call before she could grab it. Auggie took a deep breath and answered it. "What do you want"... "Why", Joan wanted to know what was being said on the other side she leaned forward straining to hear, but Auggies footsteps drowned out Calders voice..."Im with Joan now", Joan stood up and walked over to Auggie who was wandering around the room. "Fine". Auggie forcefully ended the conversation, shoving the phone into his pocket. "Auggie?" she sternly inquired, "he wants me to come in to clean out my office. And you need to get your car out of the parking lot." Joan groaned at the timing of all of this, Auggie continued, "They are sending a car to pick us up. Can you drive back home Joan?" Auggie had turned to face her placing his hands on her shoulders, they always seemed so strong but today...

"Yes" Joan responded. "Let me put on a clean change of clothes and we can go." Auggie retreated to the couch to wait. Joan headed upstairs

* * *

Empty.

Its not like it was the first time Joan had come home to an empty bedroom. When she and Arthur were fighting, it was imminent. But today, it felt different. It was a hollow kind of empty. She gave their bed a sad glance and wondered if she would ever wake up snuggled next to him again. Walking into the bathroom, Joan looked in the mirror, and the tears she held in came flowing out. Her whold body shook as she mourned the loss of the best operative in her division, the loss of a daughter. Finally gaining control of her emotions, Joan splashed water on her face. Throwing her hair in a ponytail she sighed at her appearance. At least she wouldn't have to go inside to get her car. Nobody would see her. Just in case she dabbed some powder on her nose to hide how red it had become.

She hated to cry.

Joan went to the closet and found a pair of jeans that still buttoned and a loose fitting rose colored v-neck top. Joan headed downstairs. Upon hearing her clicking heels in the foyer, Auggie silently arose and headed toward the door. Joan stopped to dig her keys out of the box Auggie left on the table. She helped Auggies hand find her elbow, guiding him out the front door, and locking it behind her.

* * *

They sat silently in the dark sedan. Once past the guard gate at Langley, Auggie was escorted inside. Joan watched him until he went through the door then proceeded with her two escorts. Joan halfway glared at the men escorting her to her car. How humiliating. She slid into the drivers seat, flashed her escorts a look that sent them on their way and headed out of the parking lot. Once past the concrete barrier, she pulled over. The tears came again. She lost her stepson, her job, her husband, and now, her daughter. It was overwhelming. Joan wished she had a few pills stashed in the car. She quickly dismissed the thought and cradled her stomach. This baby, the only good thing in her life. She started to daydream about her baby boy. She snapped out of it when her phone rang. "This is Joan" It was Bianca. She could see Arthur for 20min. starting at 2:45PM. Glancing at the clock, Joan saw it was already 2, promising to be there on time, Joan sped through the DC traffic heading to the detention facility where Arthur was.

* * *

The door slid open giving Joan a glimpse of her husband sitting at the table across the concrete cell. Still wearing the same slacks and oxford he wore when he went to take car of Teo. Tears welled up in her eyes thinking of Arthurs son. She pushed the emotions back and stepped towards her husband. He looked exhausted, defeated and drained until he looked up and saw her. Arthur jumped to his feet and watched his wife approach. He looked deep into her eyes. His gaze sending a rush of hormones and emotions through her body. Joan heard the door slide shut and glanced behing her. The guard remained outside and they were as alone as they could be.

"Joan" Arthur breathed her name as he closed the space between them and enveloped her in his arms. Joan wanted to melt there against her husbands chest and loose herself, but she remembered Annie and pushed him away abruptly. Arthur, startled by her response questioned,

"What is going on?"

Joan looked away from his eyes and he grasped her hands rubbing them with his thumbs. Joan choked back tears and with every ounce of self control she had left she met his concerned eyes. "There are some things you need to know" Arthur silently nodded, "The DNI called me into his office after I saw you yesterday to inform me I had 20 minutes to clean out my desk." Arthur sympathetically said, "Oh, I'm so sorry honey"

Joan inhaled and nodded "I was cleaning out my desk when Auggie came in and I...I..." Joans voice cracked as the tears tried to fall. His hands moved up her arms to cup her face. Joan grabbed onto his forearms and forced herself to meet his eyes and to breathe.

"I passed out and I spent last night in the hospital." Arthur looked stunned and quietly said, "The baby?" as he released her face and his hands found her round belly. With a weak smile Joan responded, "The baby is fine, Arthur. We are fine." Arthur breathed a deep sigh of relief as he pulled her into a kiss. She responded by kissing him deeply and digging her hands into his dark hair before pulling away again. This time she couldn't look him in the eye without crying uncontrollably. Joan just shook her head and looked at the floor between their feet. Arthur tipped her chin up, afraid of what was weighing so heavy on his wife,

"Just tell me Joan".

"Annie is dead"

Arthur just gaped and stared.

"How?"

In a flood of tears, Joan relayed the story Auggie told her. Arthur pulled her into his arms and just held her. Letting her cry it out and whispering in her ear how sorry he was. He kissed the nape of her neck wishing he could hold her closer. How he wanted to comfort her.

Annie was like a daughter to Joan, and due to recent events, had become one to him too.

Joan finally got control of herself again and pulled away to look Arthur in the eyes. When she did she saw tears in his eyes. There was so much that needed to be discussed, but nothing could be just stood in an embrace until the guard announced the visit was over.

Arthur planted a kiss on her lips and whispered "I love you Joan" against them before she walked away giving his hand a squeeze before she let him go.

She didn't look back.

He understood why.

As the door slid shut, he braced himself against the table, shut his eyes tightly and started the long process of working through what he was just told.

"Annie is dead"


End file.
